Alejandro Salazar, a 27-year-old man, was navigating a difficult period in his life in the autumn of 2026. On October 12, just hours before his death, he had been discharged from a local hospital where he was treated for a mental health crisis. During his hospital stay, he had reportedly become aggressive and was administered a sedative. His return to the family home in a rural area near Prosser, Washington, set the stage for a tragic confrontation that would end his life.
The evening of
October 12 began with tension at the family residence in the 24000 block of North Rothrock Road. Alejandro’s half-brother, 25-year-old Jose Cruz Escobar, was preparing to leave for a job interview in Richland. His mother planned to drive him, and his sister decided to go with them, reportedly because she was afraid to remain at home alone with Alejandro. As they were getting into their car, Alejandro approached them holding a rock, demanding to be let inside and threatening to smash a window where his sister was sitting.
Alejandro then went back inside the house, where he found Escobar in the kitchen making tea. An argument erupted between the brothers, reportedly over a butane tank Alejandro was trying to find. The verbal dispute quickly turned physical. Alejandro punched Escobar in the face and pinned him against a kitchen cupboard. Escobar managed to break free and retreated to his bedroom, where he retrieved a firearm. When he returned to the kitchen, Alejandro threw the rock at him, which struck and shattered the red dot sight on the gun.
The conflict spilled out of the house and into the driveway, where the sister was still waiting in the vehicle. According to Escobar’s account to investigators, Alejandro advanced on him aggressively. Escobar said he fired several warning shots into the ground, but Alejandro continued to approach him. Escobar fired again, aiming for his brother’s leg, but the bullet struck him in the abdomen. He also suffered a gunshot wound to his arm.
Just after 6 p.m., a 911 call was made from the home. The caller, later identified as Escobar, initially and falsely claimed his brother had been the victim of a drive-by shooting. When Benton County Sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found Alejandro Salazar unresponsive in the driveway near a car. Despite immediate first aid attempts by Escobar and the subsequent efforts of emergency medical personnel, Alejandro died at the scene.
Investigators quickly determined that the drive-by shooting story was untrue. They found a trail of shell casings in the driveway leading from where Alejandro lay back toward the house. Based on the evidence at the scene and Escobar’s initial false report, deputies arrested him on suspicion of second-degree murder, and he was booked into the Benton County Jail. However, as the investigation continued over the next few days, a different picture emerged.
The Benton County Prosecutor's Office reviewed the evidence gathered by detectives, which included a search of the home, documentation of the scene, and interviews with all involved. Investigators found the firearm with the broken optic inside the house, along with glass and plastic shards, which corroborated Escobar's account of the rock being thrown. After considering Alejandro's threatening behavior, his recent mental health crisis, and the sequence of the altercation, prosecutors concluded that Jose Cruz Escobar had likely acted in self-defense. On October 15, three days after the shooting, Escobar was released from jail. The prosecutor’s office stated there was insufficient evidence to continue to detain him, though they would wait for outstanding records before making a final decision on whether to file any criminal charges. The investigation was considered active and ongoing as of late October 2026.
